Savvy About Survival: Survival Gear Review: Ruger Gunsite Scout Rifle .450 Bushmaster

The .450 what? Yeah, dude, the .450 Bushmaster or maybe what should have been named the .450 Best Scout Rifle Bush Wacker. Originally, the .450 Bushmaster was designed to be used in M-16/AR-15 platforms using 5-round magazines. Now Ruger puts in it the ultimate prepper bolt action rifle, the Gunsite Scout model. This model utilizes the forward mounted scope.

By Dr. John J. Woods, a contributing author to SHTFBlog & Survival Cache

The .450 Bushmaster

Initially, Hornady Ammunition Company was sought out to produce factory ammunition for the .450 Hornady_450_Bushmaster_Ruger_Gunsight_Scout_review Bushmaster. Their current load uses the Hornady 250 grain FTX bullet which generates a muzzle velocity of 2200 fps from a 20-inch barrel. The energy rating at the muzzle is 2687 foot pounds. At 100 yards it retains 1868 foot pounds, so it is quite the whacker as noted.

This load comes in Hornady’s new Black line of ammunition. See this info at www.hornady.com. The load is being touted as having sufficient retained energy at 225 yards to be an effective hunting round for moose and elk. Imagine using it on wild hogs. For preppers and survivalists wanting supreme power in a compact bolt gun, this is certainly one to consider.

The Ruger Gunsite Scout Rifle

Ruger has brought out the .450 Bushmaster in its excellent bolt action Gunsite Scout Rifle(See Jeff Cooper – Art of the Rifle). Weighing just 6.6 pounds, this compact rifle package features a 16.10 inch barrel which is threaded, offers controlled round feed and comes with a 4-round detachable box magazine.

ruger_scout_gunsite_rifle_450_bushmaster_review

The metal on this rifle is finished in a matte black oxide. The threaded barrel is fitted with a Ruger Precision Rifle Hybrid Muzzle Brake. The rifle’s trigger guard and magazine well are formed from glass reinforced nylon. The magazine release is copied from their Mini-14 rifle as a push forward paddle situated just ahead of the trigger guard.

Included open sights are a protected, non-glare, post front sight. On the receiver is an adjustable ghost ring sight. A forward mounted Picatinny rail permits the mounting of a wide variety of optics. The rifle comes with integral scope mounts and Ruger scope rings in order to mount a conventional type riflescope.

The rifle’s stock is American walnut with “Gunsite Scout Rifle” engraved on the grip cap, a nice custom feature. The rifle is equipped with sling swivel studs. The grip and forearm are checkered. A soft rubber recoil pad is mounted with three ½ inch spacers to permit the length of pull to be adjusted to the shooter. Dealers should have these in stock now, but not being a common selling item, it might have to be ordered.

The expected retail price has been set at $1199. Expensive, but given the features of this rifle, we expect Ruger to have hit another home run. Again, this handy bolt action in .450 Bushmaster is a powerful rifle. The .450 Bushmaster packs a heavy whack factor for sure. If you bug out to a locale with mean critters about either bearing (pun intended) four or two legs, then this rifle is for sure worthy of consideration. I may well be one of the ideal handy bolt action prepper rifles.

Let me know what you think in the comments below.

Visit Sponsors of SurvivalCache.com